This focaccia bread is perfectly soft and chewy on the inside and super crispy on the outside. It’s infused with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, rosemary, cherry tomatoes, and olives. It feels like taking a trip to Italy!
Why This Recipe Works
Get ready for a classic Italian favorite: focaccia bread. It’s naturally vegan, super easy to make, and all you need is 9 basic ingredients. But it’s not just any ordinary focaccia – it’s loaded with briny olives and juicy cherry tomatoes, making it a truly irresistible treat.
Most recipes only call for rosemary and sea salt but I decided to take my focaccia to the next level. And boy, is it good!
It’s super soft and fluffy on the inside and super crispy on the outside. The cherry tomatoes not only provide it with a burst of flavor but also bring a pop of color that makes it even more visually appealing.
Each slice is infused with olive oil that perfectly soaks into the holes that are poked in the bread. To give it even more flavor, I added minced garlic to the olive oil before drizzling it over the bread.
What I love about this recipe is that it’s super versatile. It’s perfect with a big green salad or with any kind of pasta. Or serve it as an appetizer for a casual get-together or bring it to a picnic or BBQ. I can promise you, it will be a real crowd-pleaser!
You can experiment with different types of olives, like green or Kalamata, to add your own unique twist. Or sprinkle it with a combination of rosemary and thyme.
Don’t worry if you’re not an experienced baker. I think the focaccia bread looks really decadent and hard to make, but the recipe is incredibly easy! It’s beginner-friendly and I provided you with easy-to-follow step-by-step photos that will show you how to make this recipe.
You’ll be amazed at the delicious results you can achieve with just a few basic ingredients and a little bit of time.
I like to use a stand mixer to prepare this recipe as this makes things super easy. But you could also make it by hand if you’ve got a bit more time. You could shape it into a pizza-like round form or you could use a rectangular baking dish depending on your personal preference.
So go ahead, roll up your sleeves, and make this easy focaccia bread to impress your family and friends. With its rustic charm and irresistible taste, it will make you feel like a baking pro!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Olive Oil – make sure to use a high quality olive oil. I use organic extra virgin olive oil. It really makes a difference in taste.
- Rosemary – use fresh rosemary for the ultimate flavor.
- Brown Sugar – you could also use white sugar.
- Yeast – I used fresh active yeast (a 0.6 ounces package). You could replace it with 1 teaspoon of dried yeast.
- Olives – green or black or olives of your choice.
- Flour – all-purpose flour. I haven’t tried this recipe with any other kind of flavor yet.
How to Make This Recipe
1./2. Step: Place all the ingredients for the dough into a stand mixer. Alternatively, you could also use your hands if you’ve got a bit more time.
3. Step: Process or knead until you’ve got a soft and well incorporated dough that doesn’t stick to your hands.
4. Step: Form the dough to a small ball and place it in a bowl.
5. Step: Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature (preferably at a warm place) for about 45 minutes.
6. Step: It should have about doubled in size after this time.
7. Step: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. You could also use a baking dish (line it with parchment paper as well).
8. Step: Use your finger to poke dents all over the surface of the dough.
9. Step: Let it rise for another 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 °F.
10. Step: Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil on top. Then add the cherry tomatoes, the olives, and the fresh rosemary. Gently press them into the dough. Sprinkle with sea salt.
11. Step: Bake for 20 minutes at 400 °F until golden.
12. Step: Cut into squares and serve warm. Drizzle extra olive oil on top, if you like.
Tips & Tricks
- This recipe works best if you use a stand mixer to make the dough (for example a kitchen aid or similar kitchen tool). I used my Thermomix, which is great for baking.
- If you don’t own a stand mixer, you could also knead the dough with your hands.
- I like to use fresh yeast as it activates more quickly than dried yeast, but the recipe also works well with dried yeast. So don’t worry if you’ve only got dried yeast at home.
Storing
Stored in an airtight container, the focaccia will last up to 2 days at room temperature and 5-6 days in the fridge.
Freezing
Like most kinds of bread, this focaccia freezes really well.
I recommend underbaking the recipe by 5 minutes if you’re planning on freezing it later on. This way you can easily reheat it in the oven after thawing (bake it at full temperature (400 °F) for 5 minutes).
Yeast
Where Do You Find Fresh Yeast?
You can most likely find it in the dairy section of your supermarket near the butter.
Dry Yeast Instead of Fresh Yeast
I used a small block of fresh yeast for this recipe (0.6 ounces, or 1/3 block if you’re using a 2-ounce size block of fresh yeast).
You can replace it with 1 teaspoon of active dry yeast, which equals 0.6 ounces of fresh yeast.
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I Love to Hear From You!
I hope you like this focaccia as much as we do around here.
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Focaccia Bread
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer
- 1 bowl
- 1 clean kitchen towel
- 1 baking sheet
- parchment paper
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.6 oz fresh active yeast (one package) You could replace it with 1 teaspoon of dried yeast.
- 1 pinch brown sugar
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Topping:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 12 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- 10 olives, green and black
- fresh rosemary
- sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients for the dough into a stand mixer. Alternatively, you could also use your hands if you've got a bit more time.
- Process or knead until you've got a soft and well incorporated dough that doesn't stick to your hands.
- Form the dough to a small ball and place it in a bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature (preferably at a warm place) for about 45 minutes.
- It should have about doubled in size after this time.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. You could also use a baking dish (line it with parchment paper as well).
- Use your finger to poke dents all over the surface of the dough.
- Let it rise for another 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400 °F.
- Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil on top. Then add the cherry tomatoes, the olives, and the fresh rosemary. Gently press them into the dough. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 400 °F until golden.
- Cut into squares and serve warm. Drizzle extra olive oil on top, if you like.
Notes
- This recipe works best if you use a stand mixer to make the dough (for example a kitchen aid or similar kitchen tool). I used my Thermomix, which is great for baking.
- If you don’t own a stand mixer, you could also knead the dough with your hands.
- I like to use fresh yeast as it activates more quickly than dried yeast, but the recipe also works well with dried yeast. So don’t worry if you’ve only got dried yeast at home.
Kate
So good! Definitely a keeper! Thanks for the recipe, Sina. :)